Trans and Intersex Funding Initiative
Since 2013, GPP members have strategized and collaborated through this task force to develop new research and support collaborative funding efforts towards increasing the amount and influencing the type of funding dedicated to trans and intersex issues globally.
Viviane Simakawa
Viviane Simakawa
Viviane works as Program Officer at the International Trans Fund. She is a transfeminist activist, researcher and economist based in Brazil, and is currently studying issues related to gender identities and expressions as a Ph.D. candidate in Women, Gender and Feminist Studies at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA).
Félix Endara
Félix Endara
Felix is the Senior Program Associate for the Mesoamerica Program at Foundation for A Just Society. Born in Ecuador, Felix has worked in arts administration and philanthropic organizations that support multidisciplinary artists, including the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, North Star Fund, and Open Society Foundations. He is a queer trans filmmaker who documents the preservation of LGBT historical spaces, champions activists who catalyze social change, and disrupts the insidious narratives that deny the humanity of marginalized communities. Felix recently joined the Board of Working Films to support work to bring together documentary filmmakers and grassroots activists to advance social justice. He previously worked with Detroit Narrative Agency, Tribeca Institute, and the New Orleans Film Festival.
- In 2017, GPP, Astraea, AJWS, and GATE organized a donor tour to disseminate research on the state of trans-organizing and the state of intersex organizing.
- Between March and June 2021, GPP co-hosted Shimmering Solidarity: Global Rights Summit, a virtual series focused on grantmaker responses to anti-gender movements and related global anti-rights agenda. The Summit included over 50 sessions, with over 480 attendees representing grantmaking organizations, funder networks, and civil society partner organizations. Trans and Intersex issues were prioritized in the sessions.
- GPP has organized sessions and panels on trans and intersex issues at regional and international donor pre-conferences, most recently including ILGA World (USA 2022) and Pan Africa ILGA (Mauritius 2023).
- GPP organizes yearly webinars on trans or intersex issues, the latest one titled “How can philanthropy support trans movements to fight against anti-gender attacks?” (2023).
- In 2019, GPP published Funder Briefings: The State of Trans and Intersex Funding, looking at global trans and intersex funding trends in relationship to the 2017 State of Trans and State of Intersex Organizing reports.
- In 2019, GPP and Elevate Children Funders Group (ECFG) produced a series of materials on Support LGBTI Youth.
Global Philanthropy Project, Elevate Children Funders Group (ECFG) - In 2021, GPP developed a report titled Diving Deeper: Under the surface of LBQTI Funding.
- In 2022, GPP created a private grantmaker-only toolkit for trans-inclusive grantmakers.
- In 2021, GPP partnered with Elevate Children Funders Group to produce the report Manufacturing Moral Panic: Weaponizing Children to Undermine Gender Justice and Human Rights, presenting case studies on how governments and civil society actors are weaponizing children’s rights, child protection, and welfare and education services to push “anti-gender ideology” mandates forward.
How can GPP help
- GPP is a hub for research development related to funding for the trans and intersex movement. This includes GPP’s original research and our role as an implementation partner for resource mapping and research distribution to the philanthropic community.
- Our ongoing collection of relevant research offers a resource for those oriented to the conversation.
- GPP develops and moderates sessions, panels, webinars, research release events, and other public programs to elevate funding efforts for the trans and intersex movement. Together, we can develop opportunities for a broad set of philanthropic actors.
- GPP is a resource for your grantee cohort(s), sharing research and tools developed by GPP and our task force members.
2023 Webinars
- How can philanthropy support trans movements to fight against anti-gender attacks? (November 2023). To request the recording, please email us.
- Ripple Effects of Property Purchase Grants on LGBTIA Communities (July 2023). The recording is available on the website.
- Us Too: Funding the Needs and Priorities of LBQ+ Women and Non-Binary People (April 2023). To request the recording, please email us.
2022 Webinars
- Tools for Trans Inclusive Grantmaking (February 2022). To request the report, please email us.
- Disrupt, Defund, and Deplatform: Exploring Philanthropic Approaches to Ending Conversion Therapies (April 2022). To request the recording, please email us.
2021 Webinars
- Where are the Global COVID-19 Resources for LGBTI Communities? (January 2021). The recording is available on the website.
- LGBTQI Rights and the Power of Following the Funding (October 2021). The recording is available on the website.
- Workshop: Role of Intermediaries in Trans and Intersex Funding (October 2021). The recording is not available.
2020 Webinars
- Supporting Intersex Communities During COVID-19 (September, 2023). The recording is not available.
- Supporting Trans Communities During COVID-19 (June, 2023). The recording is not available.
2019 Webinars
- Support LGBTI Youth: Video and Materials (October 2019) The materials are on the website.
Trans and Intersex Donor Tour 2017–2019
From 2017-2019, GPP partnered on a donor tour with American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and Astraea’s Intersex Human Rights Fund, the International Trans Fund, and Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) to present the data from the State of Intersex Organizing (2nd edition) and The State of Trans Organizing (2nd Edition) research.
The tour, which comprised 5 countries (Canada, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, USA), aimed to advocate and influence the largest government and multilateral funders of international LGBTI issues, key women’s rights funders and networks, members of the Global Philanthropy Project (GPP), and other actors within international philanthropy to increase the amount and type of funding to trans and intersex organizations worldwide. In each tour location, the partners presented to and coordinated with local civil society organizations.
This tour was the first-ever LGBTI funder delegation to donor governments
The donor tour demonstrated its success by achieving meetings with high-level government contacts, making the case, and securing commitments of increased funding. It also emphasized the need for an accelerated strategy to ensure that commitments are followed through on and statements of support are translated into real resources and donor action.
From right: Sara Gunther, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice; Mauro Cabral Grinspan, GATE; Erin Howe, Strength in Numbers.